Annual Statistical Supplement, 2003

Public Assistance

Food Stamps

Table 9.H1 Number of participants, total annual benefits, and average benefit, fiscal years 1962–2002

Year

Average numberof participants(thousands)

Total annual benefits(thousands of dollars)

Averagemonthly benefit a(dollars)

1962

143

13,153

7.66

1963

226

18,639

6.87

1964

367

28,643

6.50

1965

424

32,494

6.39

1966

864

64,781

6.25

1967

1,447

105,455

6.07

1968

2,211

172,982

6.52

1969

2,878

228,587

6.62

1970

4,340

550,806

10.58

1971

9,368

1,522,904

13.55

1972

11,103

1,794,875

13.47

1973

12,190

2,102,133

14.37

1974

12,896

2,725,988

17.62

1975

17,063

4,386,144

21.42

1976

18,557

5,310,133

23.85

1977

17,058

5,057,700

24.71

1978

16,044

5,165,209

26.83

1979

17,710

6,484,538

30.51

1980

21,077

8,685,521

34.34

1981

22,430

10,615,964

39.44

1982 b

21,716

10,205,799

39.18

1983

21,630

11,153,867

42.98

1984

20,858

10,696,100

42.74

1985

19,910

10,744,200

44.99

1986

19,428

10,604,950

45.49

1987

19,113

10,500,344

45.78

1988

18,644

11,149,051

50.00

1989

18,766

10,676,436

51.85

1990

20,038

14,184,028

59.01

1991

22,629

17,307,235

63.89

1992

25,403

20,899,531

68.57

1993 c

26,982

22,006,031

67.96

1994 c

27,468

22,748,559

69.01

1995 c

26,619

22,765,478

71.27

1996

25,533

22,440,298

73.23

1997

22,851

19,555,263

71.31

1998

19,787

16,879,929

71.09

1999

18,123

15,761,615

72.23

2000

17,155

14,985,093

72.79

2001

17,313

15,546,941

74.83

2002

19,094

18,257,136

79.68

a. That portion of the food stamp allotment, before the elimination of the purchase requirement, represented the government's share of total food stamps received. Since January 1979, only the bonus portion of the total food stamp allotment is received by participants.

b. Excludes participants and benefits under the Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Program after July 1, 1982.

c. Revised data.

SOURCE: Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

NOTE: Between 1974 and 1979, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients were made ineligible for food stamps in California, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and selected counties in New York and Virginia because those areas supplemented SSI payments in amounts that included the value of food stamps. As of 1983 and 1992, SSI recipients were returned to the Food Stamp program in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, respectively, when those states chose to stop including a value for food stamps in the SSI supplement.